Stanford University recently hosted its inaugural symposium titled “Re-thinking Food – From Plate to Planet,” launching the Food@Stanford initiative. The event, held on April 24, gathered over 250 participants and marked a significant step in addressing global food system challenges.
Lily Sarafan, incoming chair of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, emphasized the urgency of reimagining food systems. “We’re not here to simply talk about food, we’re here to reshape its future,” she stated. Sarafan highlighted the pressing issues of diet-related illness, water scarcity, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change driven by current food production systems.
The initiative is led by Professor Ellen Kuhl, director of Stanford Bio-X. She explained that the program aims to create nutritious and sustainable food systems through an interdisciplinary approach involving biological problem solving, engineering, medicine, and data science. “Breakthrough innovations in materials, systems thinking, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are unlocking powerful new tools,” Kuhl noted.
The symposium featured researchers from Stanford and other prestigious institutions like UC Davis and Harvard. Vipula Shukla from the Gates Foundation discussed efforts to support farmers in impoverished regions with breakthrough plant research. Other topics included reducing food production’s impact on climate change and developing climate-resilient crops through genetic engineering.
Arun Majumdar, dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, stressed the importance of field application for research outcomes. “This is one of the most important things that our school needs to focus on,” he said.
Christopher Gardner from Stanford’s School of Medicine presented his vision for a new diet paradigm focused on health promotion and environmental sustainability. He remarked that Food@Stanford aligns well with ongoing food-related research at Stanford.
A panel discussion explored future changes in food production influenced by technology such as machine learning and AI. Patrick Brown from Impossible Foods and David Lobell from Earth System Science were among the speakers who highlighted opportunities for producing sustainable foods.
Vice Provost David Studdert concluded by stating that Food@Stanford exemplifies “Stanford’s commitment to looking out into the world for collaboration.” Ellen Kuhl expressed hopes that this initiative will inspire further research collaborations both within Stanford and beyond.
Plans are already underway for a second symposium next year along with smaller events aimed at fostering innovation around food topics. Graduate and undergraduate fellowships are also being offered to encourage participation in reshaping future food systems.
